School Business Management

Read more about how schools manage budgets, purchasing, facilities, transportation, and other school operations
Gas prices are displayed at a gas station in Wheeling, Ill., on May 14, 2026.
Prices on display at a gas station in Wheeling, Ill., on May 14, 2026. Most school districts in a new survey say they're over budget for fuel costs as prices, particularly for diesel needed to keep school buses running, remain high as the Iran war continues.
Nam Y. Huh/AP
School & District Management High Diesel Prices and Schools: How Districts Are Keeping Buses on the Road
A new survey of school district leaders breaks down what they're already doing to keep buses running.
Caitlynn Peetz Stephens & Maya Riser-Kositsky, May 20, 2026
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2 min read
A full lot of parked school buses
School buses are parked at the Dayton Public Transportation center on Thursday, August 21, 2025 in Dayton, Ohio. School districts are already feeling the strain on their budgets as they buy diesel at elevated prices for their school buses.
Patrick Aftoora-Orsagos/AP
School & District Management Schools Brace for Impact as Fuel Prices Climb
Districts are tightening budgets as transporting students and heating buildings grow more costly.
Mark Lieberman & Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, May 19, 2026
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6 min read
The Los Angeles Unified School District, LAUSD headquarters building is seen in Los Angeles, Sept. 9, 2021.
The Los Angeles Unified School District, LAUSD headquarters building is seen in Los Angeles, Sept. 9, 2021.
Damian Dovarganes/AP
School & District Management LAUSD Tries to Reclaim $22 Million After Alleged Money-Laundering Scheme
A district manager allegedly steered work to a company in exchange for kickbacks, a lawsuit claims.
Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, May 12, 2026
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6 min read
A computer screen in English teacher Casey Cuny's classroom shows ChatGPT during class at Valencia High School in Santa Clarita, Calif., Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025
A computer screen in English teacher Casey Cuny's classroom shows ChatGPT during class at Valencia High School in Santa Clarita, Calif., on Aug. 27, 2025. A school district in Washington state on the forefront of using AI in education is harnessing artificial intelligence to create customized digital teaching and learning tools.
Jae C. Hong/AP
Artificial Intelligence A District Expects to Save $200K From AI-Powered 'Vibe Coding.' Here's How
This school district is using AI coding to develop cheaper, more customized ed-tech tools.
Alyson Klein, May 8, 2026
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7 min read
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Budget & Finance Whitepaper The Ultimate Guide to Charter School Financial Success
This guide equips charter school leaders with a clear, outcome-driven framework for strong financial management—plus the critical questio...
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Phoenix, Ariz., January 21,2026:Cory Alexander, Child Nutrition Director at Osborn School District, meets with the middle school culinary team and Theresa Mazza (glasses, Chef/ Nutrition Ed) and Maddie Furey at the garden Cafe in Phoenix, Arizona, on Jan 21,2026. They met to go over the “Appley Ever After Tres Leches Baked French Toast with Cinnamon Thyme Apples” dish for the Feeding the Future contest.
Cory Alexander, child nutrition director for Osborn School District, meets with the middle school culinary team, chef Theresa Mazza and Maddie Furey at the Garden Cafe in Phoenix, on Jan. 21, 2026.
Adriana Zehbrauskas for Education Week
School & District Management Leader To Learn From How One Arizona District Turned School Cafeterias Into Scratch Kitchens
Osborn schools built a scratch-cooked, local lunch program—one careful step at a time.
Sarah Schwartz, February 9, 2026
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10 min read
District poses for a portrait at the Garden Cafe in Phoenix, Arizona, on Jan 21, 2026.
Cory Alexander, child nutrition director for Osborn School District, poses for a portrait at the Garden Cafe in Phoenix on Jan. 21, 2026.
Adriana Zehbrauskas for Education Week
School & District Management Q&A How a Leader Developed Farm-to-Table School Lunches Without Breaking the Bank
An Arizona school nutrition director discusses how districts can overcome logistical hurdles and negotiate prices.
Sarah Schwartz, February 9, 2026
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5 min read
business and investment planning. Magnifying glass with business report on financial advisor desk. Concept of data analysis, accounting, audit, business research.
iStock/Getty
Budget & Finance From Our Research Center Crafting a Better Budget: How District and School Leaders Try to Avoid Short-Term Thinking
The EdWeek Research Center surveyed K-12 leaders on tactics to make spending plans strategic and smart.
Sean Cavanagh, December 31, 2025
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3 min read
Budget & Finance Reports Sharing Solutions: K-12 Administrators Weigh in on Strategic Resourcing
Based on a 2025 study, this whitepaper provides a roadmap for districts as they navigate purchasing processes amid economic uncertainty.
November 21, 2025
Image of school supplies falling into a shopping cart.
Antonio Solano/iStock
Budget & Finance Quiz Many District Leaders Fail to Think Strategically About Spending. What Gets in Their Way?
School districts face enormous pressure to make smart decisions when they’re buying academic resources.
Sean Cavanagh & Lynn (Yunfei) Liu, October 24, 2025
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1 min read
Illustration in blue of huge hands holding money as silhouette people run towards it.
iStock/Getty
Budget & Finance School Districts Prepare to Go Without Some Federal Funds Next Year
Some school finance chiefs are preparing for worst-case scenarios as federal funding uncertainty persists.
Mark Lieberman, October 23, 2025
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7 min read
Students wait to board Metro, Cincinnati’s public bus system, to ride to their second day of school on Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025 in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Students wait to board Metro, Cincinnati’s public bus system, to ride to their second day of school on Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025, in Cincinnati, Ohio. There are many factors school districts must consider before switching to public transit.
Luke Sharrett for Education Week<br/>
Budget & Finance Why Some Districts Are Shifting Teens From School Buses to Public Transit
Cost, safety, and existing infrastructure are factors in determining whether a partnership with a local transit agency could save money.
Jennifer Igbonoba, August 21, 2025
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4 min read
Third-grader Fallon Rawlinson reads a book at Good Springs Elementary School in Good Springs, Nev., on March 30, 2022. For decades, there has been a clash between two schools of thought on how to best teach children to read, with passionate backers on each side of the so-called reading wars. But the approach gaining momentum lately in American classrooms is the so-called science of reading.
Third-grader Fallon Rawlinson reads a book at Good Springs Elementary School in Good Springs, Nev., on March 30, 2022. Many more states and districts are emphasizing evidence-based practices, including phonics, in reading programs. But the U.S. Department of Education's withholding of teacher-training funding could stymie some of those efforts.
Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun via AP
Reading & Literacy Trump School Funding Freeze Has Some Districts Scrambling to Save 'Science of Reading' PD
Teachers need ongoing assistance to make difficult shifts in teaching reading. Some districts had counted on the withheld Title II funding.
Sarah Schwartz, July 17, 2025
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4 min read
Elizabeth Alonzo, pictured here working with 2nd grade student Maria Gonzalez de Leon at West Elementary in Russellville, Ala., on Dec. 9, 2022, is a bilingual aid at the school. Other students at the table are from left, Herlina Hernandez Guidel, Xavier Hooker, and Jaciel Felipe Matias.
Bilingual aide Elizabeth Alonzo works with 2nd grader Maria Gonzalez de Leon, along with classmates, from left, Herlina Hernandez Guidel, Xavier Hooker, and Jaciel Felipe Matias, at West Elementary School in Russellville, Ala., on Dec. 9, 2022. Supplemental staff such as aides and tutors can be funded through Title III, but those funds are currently frozen, leaving hiring decisions in limbo.
Tamika Moore for Education Week
English Learners Delayed Title III Funds Leave Districts' English-Learner Expenses in Limbo
The $890 million Title III program is among the billions the Trump administration is currently withholding from schools.
Ileana Najarro, July 16, 2025
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4 min read